Container hold down bracket arrangement



Jan- 1 9 R. B. BERGSTRAND CONTAINER HOLD DOWN BRACKET ARRANGEMENT Filed March 18, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTO'R RALPH B. BERGSTRAND BYM ATT'Y.

W m? R. H. mamasmimw CONTAINER HOLD DOWN BRACKET ARRANGEMENT Filed March 18, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet i5 INVENTOR RALPH Er. BERGSTHAND ATTM 1967 R. B. BERGSTRAND 3,296,931

CONTAINER HOLD DOWN BRACKET ARRANGEMENT Filed March 18, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 WWW INVENTOR RALPH B. BERGSTRAND ATT'Y.

jam 1W WW m, B. BEIRfiS-JRAND CONTAINER HOLD DOWN BRACKET ARRANGEMENT Filed March 18, l965 4 Sheetsdheet INVENTUF? RALPH B. BERGSTRAND BY M 7:Xgm

ATT'Y.

a FIG. 8 is an enlarged view United States Patent 3,296,981 CQNTAENER HOLD DOWN BRACKET ARRANGEMENT Ralphli. Bergstrand, Clearwater, Fla; assignor to Pullman Incorporated, Chicago, ill, a corporation of Delaware r c t Filed Mar. 18, 1965, Ser. No, 444L763 3 (llaims. (Cl. 105 -666) a a The present invention relates to container hold down brackets for railway fiat cars and more particularly to a container hold down bracket of the type which is em ployed to index and secure containers on railway fiat cars. Containerhold down brackets of the general typeljof which the present invention relates are located on railway flat cars to accommodate various size containers which may be transported thereon. The container hold down brackets areylocated so as to attach the containers on the railway flat car byymeans of the standardized corner fittings for receiving locking means associated with the hold down brackets, The hold down brackets are generally detachalbly secured on the deck or floor to render the flat car suitable for piggyback transporting of semitrailers, auto rack service and the like.

It is a principal object of the present invention to pro vi-de a railway flat car with a new and i-mprovedcontainer hold down bracket arrangement for facilitating the removal of the hold down bracket from the floor surface ofthe railwayyvehicle.

Itis another objectto provide a new and improvedconta-iner hold down tbracketyarran-gement for railway vehicle flat cars wherein the container hold down bracket is selectively movable between an operative receiving position on the floor of the railway car to a storage position underlying the side sill of the railway car. i ,In the drawings: y y p a FIG. 1 is a fragmentary; side elevational vie-w of a railway fiat car showing the container hold down brackets of the present invention mounted thereon in the operative container supporting position thereof; FIG. 2 is a fragmentary top elevational view taken generally along the lines 2-2 of FIG. 1 and showing the container hold down bracket of the type employed to concurrently support the adjacent corners 'Olf two containers mounted on the railway fiat car;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary top elevational view taken generally along the lines 3-3 of FIG. 1 and showing a container hold down bracket for supporting a single corner of a container; t

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of the container bracketshown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of the hold down bracket taken generally along the lines 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary cross sectional view of the container hold down bracket taken generally along the lines 6-6 of FIG. 2 and showing the locking plunger for holding the container corner attached to the bracket;

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view similar to FIG. 5 but showing the hold down bracket in the inoperative stored position thereof; and t partially in cross-section of the automatic latch mechanism for retaining the container hold down bracket in its stored position.

Referring to the drawings, in particularFlG. 1, there isshown one side of a flat deck railway vehicle 10 and showing in particular two end corner hold down brackets 11 and fortsupporting the outer corners of two containers C-C adapted to be mounted thereon and an intermediate corner hold down bracket 12 which includes means for supporting the adjacent corners of the two containers C--C. It is to be understood that the railway vehicletis Batented lan,

ice

formed similarly en the other side thereof and includes the hold down brackets 11 and 12 seas to support the-opposite corners of the containers The end cor'ner' hold down brackets 11 and interrnediateghol-d down brackets 12 are spaced lengthwise o-f'the car'and along achside thereof so asto accornrnodate the variouslengths-of the containers adapted .tofbe carried by the fiat car 10. Ihese lengths are substantially standardized "such a that the Icontainers of igreater length thanthe eontainers C are of double incrementllength In the evente single container of a double incrementtlen gth isJ t be t anSpOr ted on the car it} the intermediatehold down bracketllz is: movable to a stored position as more fully to beex plained; hereina fter. i H 1 a a The railway fiat car 10 rnay be of substantially conventional constructionfand includes the usual under frame components having a sidesill 13 which' rnayflbe formed of a substantially angular member including an upstanding an upstanding web 14v from thetlower end of which there depends yan inwardly; extending substantially-hon zontal web 16. The side sill 13 issupportcd onlengthwise spaced cross bearers 17; on which there issupported a floor structure, 18 whichprnayv be in the .form of sheet steel orthe likeal Ihefloor 1-8 is tsuitably supported on the cross bearers ll as by means of, a bracing plate 19. Fixed to the outboard end of'the brace plate 19 is a side sill top plate 21 which is fixed at itsout er end to the upper end of the upstanding weba 14 and at. its inner end to a splicing plate 22 which serves to span-the distance between floor IS and side sill top plateazl. Conveniently, the corner hold downy'brackets 11 11 and 12; arelocated in the vicinity of the lengthwise spaced cross-bearers 17. t Referring now to FIG. 2 there is illustrated the intermediate corner bracket 12 which serves to support the t adjacent ends ofathe two containers CC\ which maybe carried on the. flat car; As is W611 known," the containers of the type which areadapted to be;em.ployed for railway transport are of substantially frarneless structure and are provided at their lower corners with, corner fittings of substantially standardized construction i-ncluding at least an opening Ojin one of the side walls for-receiving. looking or latching means which servetto attach the container to the transporting support structure. The intermediate hold down brackets 12 and alsoy the end hold down brackets 11 are provided with cornerengaging means 12a and 11a, respectively, forrestraining. the containers'C against longitudinal and transverse movement relativeto the car 10. In the intermediate or dual corner supporting bracket 12, as shown in particular in FIGS. 12 through 7, the corner engaging means 12a comprises a vertical plate 23 extending longitudinally of the car and adapted to engage the side of the container C. For engagingthe adjacent ends of the spaced containers: C-C there is provided a transversely extending member 24 having lengthwise spaced upstanding walls. 26. At their upper ends the vertical plate23 and end walls'26 are inclined so as to provide guiding surfaces 27and 28 forycentering the container corners into the right-angular sidestforme by the vertical plate 23 and end walls 26. t w

Referring now .to FIG. .3, there is shown the end corner engaging means 11a of the end corner bracket llawhich is similar to the; corner enaging means 12a explained above in connection with the intermediate hold down bracket 12 but difiering therefrom; essentially in eliminating the transverse member 24tsince this is not required. lTh corner engaging means comprises substantially a vertical side wall engaging plate 129 and a transversely extending container end wall engaging plate 31;. :The sideyplate 29 and end wall plate 31 may be formed of a single. sheet and bent to the configuration shown in FIG. 3- The upper ends of the end plate 31 and side plate/29 are each formed with outwardly flared or inclined guiding surfaces 32 for guiding the container C into position.

Referring back again to the arrangement shown in FIGS. 2, 4 through 7, the corner engaging means 12a are fixed on a base 33 which is adapted to be moved between an operative position as shown for example in FIG. to an inoperative stored position as shown in FIG. 7. The base 33, as shown, comprises a plate 34 having a substantially horizontal web 35 upon which the lower ends of the vertical plate 23 and transverse member 24 of the corner engaging means 12a are fixed as by welding. Integrally depending from the outboard edge of the horizontal web 35 is a web 36 formed with an outwardly inclined portion 36a and an inwardly inclined portion 36b to parallel the upstanding web 14 of the side sill 13 in the operative container supporting position thereof. Spaced from the plate 34 is a bottom plate member 37 which is connected to the web 35 of the plate 34 by means of transversely spaced lengthwise extending vertical support plate 38. Downwardly depending from the bottom plate 37 inwardly of and substantially parallel to the inwardlyinclined portion 36b is a lengthwise extending plate 41. Fixed across the outer edges the plates 35 and 37, including the inwardly inclined portion 36b and depending plate 41, are end plates 42-42.

The sections of the plates 42 fixed between the inwardly inclined portion 36b and the plate 41 form in the nature of hinge leaves 42 for swinging the hold down bracket 12 to the stored position as shown in FIG. 7. To this end the hinge leaves 42-42 are each formed with spaced openings 43-43, 44-44 and 45-45. Fixed in the openings 43-43 on each one of the hinge leaves 42-42 is a pivot shaft 46 which is journaled at its ends in openings formed in a pair of lengthwise spaced hinge plates or plates 47-47. The plates 47-47 are each formed with upstanding portions 48 fixed along the inner edges to the upstanding side sill web 14 and at the upper ends to the underside of a horizontal support plate 49 which is fixed to the floor structure 18 and side sill 13. The lower end of the plates 47-47 are formed with an inwardly projecting end 51 which is fixed to the hori- Zontal web 16 of the side sill 13 and is formed with an opening 52 which is aligned with the opening 44 when the hold down bracket 12 is in the stored position.

The upper end 48 of the plates 47-47 are formed with an opening 53 which is aligned with the opening in the hinge leaf 42 when hold down bracket 12 is in the operative position. As shown, in particular in FIG. 4, ins'ertable through the aligned openings 53-53 and 45-45 and holding the hold down bracket 12 in its operative container supporting position are latches 54-54 of identical construction. The latches 54-54 each include a slide pin 55 which is supported for lengthwise movement in a pair of spaced support brackets 56 and 57. The outer end of the slide pin 55 is provided with a handle 58. For retaining the slide pin 55 in its operative locked position there is provided a diagonal pin 59 having the ends projecting radially of the slide pin 55 and which, in the operative position of the corner hold down bracket 12, is disposed between the bracket 5'7 and the end plate 47. Lengthwise movement of the slide shaft 55 outwardly of the openings is restricted by the pin 52* which is displaced 90% from radial slots 60 formed in the bearing bracket 57. In this connection it should be noted that the pin 59 and the handle 58 are arranged so that in the vertical position of the latter the projecting pin 59 is displaced 90 from the radial slots 66 formed in the bearing bracket 57. Thus, when the pin 59 and the handle 58 are located in the vertical position the projecting pin 59 is displaced with respect to the radial slots 66. To release the slide shaft 55 from the opening 45 the handle 58 is turned 90 until the ends of the pin 59 are aligned with the radial slots 60, whereupon the slide shaft 55 may be retracted and the pin 59 disposed in the space defined between the brackets 56 and 57.

Referring now in particular to FIGS. 4, 7 and 8, there is shown an arrangement for locking the intermediate hold down bracket 12 in its stored position. The locking arrangement comprises essentially an automatic lock 61 located to one side of the left bracket 47 as viewed in FIG. 4 and a manually retractable latch 62 located to one side of the right bracket 47. The spring biased latch 61 (FIG. 8) comprises essentially a plunger 63 having a cam inclined inner end 64 which is normally biased through the .plate opening 52 into the path of movement of the plate 42 for entrance into the opening 44. The plunger 63 is journaled in a housing 66 fixed to the outer face of the plate 47. Disposed within the housing 66 is a compression spring 67 which abuts at one end against the rear wall 68 and at its other end against a disc 69 fixed on the plunger 63. In this manner the plunger 63 is norm-ally urged through the opening 52 and into the path of movement of the opening 44 in the hinge leaf 42. Pivotally attached to the outer end of the plunger 63 by means of a pin 71 is a handle 72 having formed at its upper end adjacent the housing 66, a camming face 73. Upon turning of the handle 72 clockwise as viewed in FIG. 8, the camming face 73 hearing against the outer end of the housing 66 is operative to withdraw the plunger 63 out of engagement with the opening 44 in the hinge leaf 42.

When the manually retractable latches 54-54 holding the hold down bracket 12 in the operative container supporting position are released, the hold down bracket 12 is free to be rotated counter clockwise about the pivot shaft 46 and upwardly beneath the side sills 13. As the opening 44 aligns with the plunger 63, the latter is biased by means of the spring 67 into engagement therewith. In this manner the automatic or spring biased latch 61 is operative to hold the hold down bracket 12 in the stored position.

Thereafter, the manually retractable lock 62, which is constructed similarly to the manual latches 54-54, is positioned in the locked position. This is accomplished by rotating the handle 53 to a substantially horizontal position with the restraining pin 59 aligned with the radial slots 60 and the slide shaft 55 moved inwardly through the openings 52 and 44, bracket 47 and hinge leaf 42, respectively. Upon release of the handle 58 the weight thereof turns the slide shaft 55 so that the restraining pin 59 disposed between brackets 56 and 57 is out of alignment with the radial notches 60. In this manner the slide shaft 55 is restrained against lengthwise movement until the handle 58 is again turned to align the restraining pin 59 with the notches 60.

After the slide shaft 55 has been retracted from the hinge leaf opening 43, the handle 72 of the spring biased latch 61 is turned clockwise to withdraw the plunger 63 from the opening 43 in the opposite hinge leaf 42. The hold down bracket 12 is then free to be turned to the operative container supporting position and locked in position by the manual latches 54-54 as explained above.

The latch arrangements 54-54 and 5962 described above in connection with the intermediate hold down brackets 12 are also employed with the end corner hold down brackets 11 illustrated in FIG. 3 so that it is not deemed necessary to describe the locking arrangements employed therein.

As shown, both the intermediat and end corner brackets 11 and 12 employ a container looking or latching means at the corner engaging portions 11a and 12a for the purpose of retaining the containers locked on the respective corner hold down brackets 11 and 12. As shown, in particular in FIGS. 2 and 3, the container locking means 80 on the intermediate corner engaging means 12a are located on opposite sides of the plate 24 along the outside of the longitudinally extending vertical plates 23 and along the outside of the transversely extending vertical plate 31 of the end corner engaging means 1111. However, the construction of the locking means 80 of the corner engaging portions 11a and 12a is identical to that shown in FIGS. 4-6 to which reference is made for a description thereof.

The container locking means 80 comprises a slidable locking bolt 81 mounted for lengthwise movement in a bearing bracket 82 formed with an opening 83. The bearing bracket 82 is fixed to the horizontal web 35 of the base 34 at one end and along the upper end may be attached as by welding to the outwardly flared guiding surface 27 of the corner engaging means 24. Further supporting of the locking bolt 81 in an opening 84 is an outer vertical plate 86 which is fixed at one end to the web 35 and at its other end to a horizontal plate 87 spanning the bearing bracket 82. Reinforcing plates 88- 88 may be fixed along the sides of the brackets 82 and 86 as shown.

Inserted diametrically through the locking bolt 81 is a pin 89 having projecting ends which are adapted to be inserted through radial slots 90 extending from the opening 83. To insert the locking bolt $31 into locking engagement with the openings of the container corner brackets, the lock bolt 81 is turned by way of handle 91 so that the pin 89 is aligned with the radial slots 90, thereby to permit lengthwise movement of the locking bolt 81 until the pin 39 is disposed in the space defined by the inner face of the bearing bracket 82 and the vertical upstanding wall 23 of the corner engaging means.

Thereafter the weight of the handle 91 is operative to turn the locking bolt 81 so that pin 89 is out of alignment with the radial slots 90. In this manner the locking bolt 81 is prevented from being moved lengthwise.

Withdrawal of the locking bolt 81 out of locking engagement with the opening 0 is achieved in the opposite manner by turning the bolt 81 until the pin 89 is again aligned with the radial slots 90 so that the bolt 81 may be Withdrawn to the space defined between the outer plate 86 and the outer face of the bearing block or bracket 82.

What is claimed is:

1. A container hold down bracket arrangement for indexing and latching a container on the floor of a railway fiat car having a side sill including an upstanding web and a inwardly projecting substantially horizontal web spaced below said floor, said container hold down bracket arrangement comprising a substantially ver tical right angular corner engaging means adapted to engage the lower corner of a container, horizontal base means supporting said corner engaging means adapted to rest on the floor of said flat car overlying said side sill in an operative container engaging position, hinge leaf means extending downwardly from said base means in substantial parallelism with said upstanding web of said side sill when said base means is in said operative container engaging position, hinge plate means formed complementary to said side sill, pivot means pivotally connecting the lower end of said hinge leaf means to said bracket means at the juncture of said upstanding portion with said horizontal portion, and means mounted on said upstanding portion engageable with said hinge leaf means for detachably latching said corner engaging means in said operative container engaging position, and means on said horizontal portion engageable with said hinge leaf means for detachably latching said corner engaging means in a position underlying said side sill when said corner engaging means is turned from the operative position about said pivot means so that said hinge leaf means lies substantially parallel to said horizontal portion and said corner engaging means are in an inoperative stored position beneath said side sill.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said hinge means includes a pair of spaced openings, and wherein said latch means on said upstanding portion is engageable with one of said openings, and said latch means on said horizontal portion is engageable with the other of said openings.

3. The invention as defined in claim 2 wherein said latch means on said horizontal portion includes spring biased means engageable within the other of said openings to retain said corner engaging means in said inoperative stored position.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,408,414 2/1922 Smith l05-366 2,071,355 2/1932 Norbom 366 2,223,275 11/1940 Valenzuela 106-366 2,351,314 6/1944 Ario 29635 3,125,965 3/1964 De Penti et al l05366 3,160,117 12/1964 Willison et a1 105-366 3,224,383 12/1965 Gutridge et a1. 105366 3,272,150 9/1966 Dempste-r et al 105366 ARTHUR L. LA POINT, Primary Examiner.

DRAYTON E. HOFFMAN, Examiner. 

1. A CONTAINER HOLD DOWN BRACKET ARRANGEMENT FOR INDEXING AND LATCHING A CONTAINER ON THE FLOOR OF A RAILWAY FLAT CAR HAVING A SIDE SILL INCLUDING AN UPSTANDING WEB AND A INWARDLY PROJECTING SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL WEB SPACED BELOW SAID FLOOR, SAID CONTAINER HOLD DOWN BRACKET ARRANGEMENT COMPRISING A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL RIGHT ANGULAR CORNER ENGAGING MEANS ADAPTED TO ENGAGE THE LOWER CORNER OF A CONTAINER, HORIZONTAL BASE MEANS SUPPORTING SAID CORNER ENGAGING MEANS ADAPTED TO REST ON THE FLOOR OF SAID FLAT CAR OVERLYING SAID SIDE SILL IN AN OPERATIVE CONTAINER ENGAGING POSITION,, HINGE LEAF MEANS EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY FROM SAID BASE MEANS IN SUBSTANTIAL PARALLELISM WITH SAID UPSTANDING WEB OF SAID SIDE SILL WHEN SAID BASE MEANS IS IN SAID OPERATIVE CONTAINER ENGAGING POSITION, HINGE PLATE MEANS FORMED COMPLEMENTARY TO SAID SIDE SILL, PIVOT MEANS PIVOTALLY CONNECTING THE LOWER END OF SAID HINGE LEAF MEANS TO SAID BRACKET MEANS AT THE JUNCTURE OF SAID UPSTANDING PORTION WITH SAID HORIZONTAL PORTION, AND MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID UPSTANDING PORTION ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID HINGE LEAF MEANS FOR DETACHABLY LATCHING SAID CORNER ENGAGING MEANS IN SAID OPERATIVE CONTAINER ENGAGING POSITION, AND MEANS ON SAID HORIZONTAL PORTION ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID HINGE LEAF MEANS FOR DETACHABLY LATCHING SAID CORNER ENGAGING MEANS IN A POSITION UNDERLYING SAID SIDE SILL WHEN SAID CORNER ENGAGING MEANS IS TURNED FROM THE OPERATIVE POSITION ABOUT SAID PIVOT MEANS SO THAT SAID HINGE LEAF MEANS LIES SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO SAID HORIZONTAL PORTION AND SAID CORNER ENGAGING MEANS ARE IN AN INOPERATIVE STORED POSITION BENEATH SAID SIDE SILL. 